The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-05-02
What To Do.


fession." This month we will take
another step and look at what we
might call the artistic life, painting,
music and authorship.
My young friend, girl or boy; you
want to be painter or a musician, or
an author; in fact you are one OF these
already, your mother thinks you paint
beautifully, or sing or play or write
beautifully, / don't know which it is;
the neighbors all think SO; the minis
ter and the school superintendent
thinks so; and you yourself know so.
There is a feelingin your inmost heart
that tells you you are second Rosa
Bonheur, or MISSIONER, or q Patti, O.
Dickens or a Longfellow. You take
such delight in painting or singing or
writing; it all seems so easy and nat
ural, such glow OF inspiration fills
you while you are at it. And when
you see the work of these great artists,
your own reminds you of it,
Now it is a curious TACT that there
are about twenty thousand young
people in this country, each one Oh
whom has exactly the same feeling
that you have. Each one is q genius;
in colors or music or words.
OF course you will see at a flash that
these twenty thousand great artists
all in one country and all young, and
bound to make themselves known,
you have got a big job before you get
to the head. Rem nber they are not
ordinary, everyday people; but each
one is q great genius like yourself, and
the world has not yet discovered
them-just as it has not yet discover.
ed you
Now, the problem is, how are you
going to make the world understand
what wonderful talents you have?
The world was always slow to
find out its greatest people, par
ticularly the artistic people, even
when there were very few of them, but
nowadays you talented young folks
are so plenty that your talents ara
cheap; like anything else when it be-
comes plenty; so that even after the
world has found you out, it won't pay
you enough to live on.
What are you going 80 do? You
must make a living somehow. You
cannot afford to starve or go in rags
while you are writing poetry, or sing
ing sweet songs or painting beautiful
pictures and on the other hand you
can't find it in your heart TO stop sing,
ing or painting or writing, of course
not; you don't want to stagve your
soul any more than you do your
body What will you do?
Here is my advice Choose some or
binary common place business or trade
whereby you can make Y your living, and
then devote your spare time to prac.
ticing and perfecting yourself in the
art that you love best. But choose a
business that comes right in the line
OF your taste. The picture trade, or
book trade or music trade will help
you, even il you are merely clerk, to
learn something about the business
side of the art you are interested in,
and your outside practice will help
you in your business, so your inter.
est, will be strong, and you will be hap
pier in your work, even il it isn't the
highest thing you long for.
And this applies to girls just as we'll
as to boys-that is to the girls who
are trying to earn their own liv-
ing Don't think that you will give all
your time to rt,and by your remark
able talents will make great hit and
a big pile OF money, like some one you
heard about the other day, who isn't
really half as smart as you are.
You see that is just the point. The
world don't know how to Judge be-
tween what is good and what is poor,
the world only knows what IL likes,
and no matter how fine a painting or
poem or song you may have to offer,
The world may not want it. The
chances are all against you, in TACT
you would have a better chance OF
irawing the grand prize in the Louisi-
ma lottery, it is all chance and your
'hance of making a hit is only about
)ne in ten thousand. Take my ad-
vice, earn your living at some regular
business, and then you will be ready
ust the same, il the world should dis.
over your talent, to take your good
uck when it comes, and meanwhile
'ou won't be starving. To help those
Who are trying in their spare time to
become good writers, we will have
cries OF talks on how 30 write.-By
Arthur l.. Hardness, in Treasure
Trove.